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This is the album I'd been waiting for. A little backstory, shortly after the release of the last album Asunder, Sweet I saw on Youtube that they had been playing an even newer long song that really blew me away. Then I saw the band play it live in 205 and said to drummer Timothy Herzog after the show "that new song is an instant classic." That song turned out to be titled Anthem For No State, and it was worth the wait to finally hear it released.

Godspeed! didn't pull any punches with this one. There are two shorter "drone" songs, but they each keep building up rather than staying constant, so you definitely don't get bored. The long songs are really what stand out though. Bosses Hang is a great example of what you can do with just a single melody developed effectively. As the song builds, you get a series of interlocking guitars playing off each other, but the main melody comes back at the peak. Definitely feels triumphant.

Anthem For No State is one of my favorite songs right now. The intro with violin and soft guitar is one of the most beautiful passages this band has done. But as to be expected, the song builds over 14 minutes into a giant bang of a conclusion. The last 3 minutes are an absolute triumph, right up there with King Crimson's Starless as most epic ways to close an album. Very loud playing, but also great emotion and melody.